


Under the Dornish Sun

by DoctorSnow



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms, A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-21
Updated: 2017-05-21
Packaged: 2018-09-24 15:31:52
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,949
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9768230
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DoctorSnow/pseuds/DoctorSnow
Summary: To celebrate graduation, a group of five go to Dorne for a lazy, booze-fueled vacation. Only four return. The question everyone is left asking:Where is Arya Stark?





	1. Chapter 1

She stayed crouched amidst the shrubbery, as quietly as she could.

The beach was right in front of her. The moon had hidden behind the clouds. What little light she spotted was from the bonfire a few miles away. At first instinct she considered running towards it. But she was wary to come out into the beach, afraid that he might spot her movements. She was certain she could outrun him.  He didn’t look the running type. On the other hand, she ran five miles almost every day. However, she had seen him brandish a shiny pistol earlier that night. And she had seen him use it.

She had been running at breakneck speed for quite awhile now. The resort grounds were huge and conveniently had plenty of open space to run while she was being chased. She wasn’t completely certain that she had lost him though. He might’ve taken a shortcut for all she knew.

She tried to stay silent, struggling to catch her breath. She was breathing too heavily. She covered her mouth with her hands. The adrenaline was flowing through her body, coursing through her veins. She could feel her heart beating, at a rather alarming rate. If she kept this up, she might need a revival kit soon.

She closed her eyes and tried to focus. _Remember your training._ She consciously tried to slow her breathing, calming herself as she was taught. She could hear the ocean waves as they washed up on the Dornish shore. She could feel the cool night breeze, her teeth chattering. She could hear the rhythmic sway of the palm trees behind her. She could hear club music playing. It was working. She felt her heart rate come down. She could hear voices in the distance…..two voices. A man and a woman. Laughing, giggling, excited. They were probably looking for a private area on the beach. She wondered if she may be so bold as to call out for help. _That would only draw him closer to her. He might harm them too._ She stayed put.

After her fight-or-flight instinct ebbed, she stood up to assess the damage. Her arms had taken a beating in the shrubs and the time she slipped. There were cuts and bruises on her feet from running barefoot. She had to ditch her slippers. They weren’t exactly meant for running. Apart from that and the fact that she was mentally shaken up from being chased by someone who probably wanted her dead, she was fine.

The moon had come out of hiding. The beach was engulfed in bright moonlight. The couple had quieted down after their initial excitement, presumably in the thick of it someplace else. The bonfire light was still glowing. There seemed to be a small group of people gathered around it. There was no sign of the resort buildings. She must’ve wandered to the far side of the island. If she could make it to the bonfire, she could at least find a way to contact the others.

The coast seemed clear. He was probably looking for her elsewhere. “I must’ve lost him in the trees.” She muttered to herself. There was nothing she could hear apart from the sounds of the night. The abnormally cold night. She shivered in her thin cotton dress.  Stealthily, she limbered up before she ventured out into the beach.

She maintained a brisk pace as she ran, supported adequately by her well-muscled legs. This time, she was determined not to tire out too soon. She stayed as far away from the water as possible without heading into the trees. She had barely been running five minutes before she heard the sound of a gunshot.

 

He had found her.


	2. Chapter 2

Jon Snow was not having a great day. For starters, he was in fucking Dorne. They could’ve gone anywhere. They could’ve gone to Braavos, with its picturesque canals and gondolas. They could’ve gone to Oldtown, with its vibrant nightlife. They could’ve even gone on a fucking wildlife safari to the Riverlands. Instead, they chose to go to fucking Dorne. Dorne was nothing but a giant fucking desert with few decent beaches and a scorching hot sun. He rubbed on his forearm. His skin was turning red, in spite of all the suntan he used. The only upside was the cheap liquor.

“All right there, Snow?” Robb asked him, handing him a bottle of beer. “You look like you could use another.”

Robb had intended on travelling to Dorne since four months before their finals. Everyone knew this about Robb; once he had set his mind to something, no one and nothing could budge that. Not even Robb himself. Theon was the first to cave, followed by Sansa and, last of all, Jon. To be honest, Jon didn’t like the idea of Theon joining them on what was supposed to be a family holiday. To be honest, Jon didn’t like Theon, period.

They were seated on a poolside table. Sansa was busy on her phone, and so was Theon. Of the four of them, Robb seemed to be the only one enjoying himself. Jon couldn’t stand the heat, and Sansa and Theon couldn’t stand each other.

Robb interjected, thumping him on the back. “What’s the matter, Snow? You’re awfully quiet today, even for you.”

Jon took a generous swig of the dark stout Dorne was famous for. “I think we should go looking for her.”

“Again with the looking. Dude, I told you. She’ll turn up when she wants to.”

“I’m not so sure about that.”Jon replied. “She would’ve at least let us know where she was. It’s been over twelve hours. I don’t know about you, but I’m getting worried.”

Robb removed his shades, giving him a steely blue-eyed glare. “Are you saying I don’t care for my sister?”

“That’s not what I meant. I’m just –“

“That’s pretty bold, Snow.”

“Look, all I’m saying is, let’s look for her. I don’t like the thought of her being by herself in such a large place.”

“Neither do I. I’m her brother, in case you’ve forgotten.”

Jon stood up, livid. “So am I.”

“Dude, sit the fuck down. You’re going to embarrass yourself.”

Jon was already drawing up a scenario analysis in his mind. Sure, Robb worked out a lot and would probably take him in a fair fight, unless it wasn’t a fair fight. Robb was a weak swimmer. He could maybe start with pushing him in the pool and seeing how things went from there. He could also try distracting him with any surrounding props, like a napkin or a plate, before he delivered a quick uppercut to his temple. Thankfully, this strand of thought was broken by Sansa before he acted.

“Get a room, you two.” She piped, not looking up from her phone.

Jon could never win with this shit. So he just sat back in his seat and waited for Robb to move his ass and make a proclamation, which he did in less than ten seconds.

“You tried her phone?”

“You mean _my_ phone.” Sansa said, eyes still glued to her phone.

That finally got him in the zone. “Okay, Theon. Speak to the staff. You know their language. They might’ve seen her around. Talk to them and find out what you can.”

Theon groaned as he got up from his comfortable chair.

“Sansa, you come with me. We’ll scour the beach, see if she’s hanging around there.” He turned to Jon. “Go back to the villa. See if there’s anything amiss. Something she might’ve left behind. A note or something like that. Maybe she’s already back there.”

Highly unlikely, Jon thought as he made his way back to the villa.

Theon had managed to get them a sweet deal on a seaside villa overlooking the bay. Of course, in the end, it was Robb’s dad who was footing the bill. The villa came with three bedrooms, a lounge, a courtyard with its own little pond, and an infinity pool. It was the stuff of dreams, and probably the only good thing about their trip here. As Jon made his way to the door, he found it wide open.

Their room was in shambles. Their bags had been forced open. Their clothes were strewn here and there. The coffee table was broken. Several pieces of broken china lay on the floor. 

"ARYA!!!" He yelled at the top of his lungs. No response.

Did she do this? He immediately rushed to the cupboard. The safe was empty. He didn't know what he was thinking at this moment. A myriad of thoughts flowed in his head. Why would she break into their own villa? It made zero sense. Maybe she needed money for something. But what? And why would she make such a mess of their villa in the process? And if this was not her, as much as he wanted it to be, who the fuck did this?

Just that moment, his phone rang. It was Theon.

“Jon, get down to the reception area.”

“What is it?”

“Dude, just get down here. I don’t know how to deal with this shit.”

He realized that Theon would not tell him a thing until he actually went down there. “Robb and Sansa?”

“They’re on their way. Just come.”

At that moment, a lot of thoughts came unbidden to Jon. Had they found her? Had she wandered too far into the bay and drowned? Had anyone tried to take advantage of her? Had she fallen off the old tower and maimed herself? He knew she loved exploring places like that. He couldn’t help it, but any morbid thought about Arya he was having ended with her dead or severely injured.

The reception area was more crowded than the Apple stores whenever a new iPhone was launched. It was filled with police, reporters, shady men in black suits and a few really expensive vehicles. Theon was sequestered by a particularly classy Rolls Royce Phantom in the parking lot. He called Jon over when he spotted him.

“What is it? What the hell is going on?”

Theon looked positively serious as he tried to stay still without touching the Rolls. “Do you remember Trystane Martell?”

Jon nodded, albeit hesitantly. Of course he remembered Trystane Martell.

“Apparently, he was supposed to make it back home yesterday. When he didn’t show in the morning, his dad called it in.”

Part of him felt like grabbing Theon by the balls and hearing him scream. It would never come close to what Theon had made him feel in those few minutes leading up to _this_ reveal, but it would bring him immense satisfaction. Another part of him felt like laughing his ass off. But all he could muster was “Oh.”

Theon chuckled in derision. “Imagine our dads doing this for us. My dad probably doesn’t even know what I studied at Uni.”

 _Mine’s dead_ , Jon might’ve said. But that would be unfair to Mr. Stark, who had brought him up like he was one of his own. You could never tell which were which from the way Mr. Stark treated them. But when it came to his wife, it was a whole different story.

“That still doesn’t explain why you called me out here like they were serving free booze.”

Theon motioned him to stay silent. “Come with me. Too many ears.”

“Wait--what about Robb and Sansa?”

“Probably making sand castles.” He said impatiently. “Who gives a shit?”

Jon followed him to the palm trees by the beach. When he was sure everyone else was out of earshot, he punched him in the gut.

Theon doubled over in pain, gasping for breath.

“You cuntfuck! What the hell was that for?”

“You know what we’re trying to do right now.” Jon hissed at him, his voice dangerously low. “We don’t know where she is, we have no fucking clue where or how she could be. We don’t even know if she’s dead or alive. Someone broke into the villa.” He continued, seeing his eyes widen in shock. “Yes, sir. So you know I’m not bluffing when I say to you that I’ve had it up to here with your pseudo tweaker bullshit. Tell me seriously, what the fuck gives?”

He sank into a bench, shaking with anger. Theon stood right there, leaning on a palm tree for support.

“I saw her with him. Two days back. They were hanging out by the pool bar that afternoon. From what I saw, they seemed to be hitting it off pretty well. Which is why I called you down there. I figured you should know before we speak to the other two. If Trystane is missing, there’s good reason to believe that she is too.”

Jon was shocked. “You don’t think this is connected—“

He shook his head. “I don’t know if it is. But we can’t sit on this any longer. We’ve already waited a day. If something has happened, we need to act soon.”

Jon looked up at him, fear and disbelief clear on his features.

“I think it’s time we called your uncle.”


	3. Chapter 3

“Kidnapped?” Ned Stark asked him incredulously. “Is that a serious question, Jon?”

He said nothing, eyes fixed on the dimly lit road as they drove back to the resort.

As soon as he got the call, his uncle took the first flight out of Winterfell. He put everything on hold, all his work commitments, meetings, everything. He had to change flights to get here, considering there was no direct flight to Sunspear from Winterfell. He looked tired. And angry. Really angry.

“No, I don’t think she’s been kidnapped, Jon.” Ned continued. “Someone would’ve called me by now if that was the case.”

“She’s only been gone a day.” Jon added.

“Trust me, I’ve seen these things at work. If she had been kidnapped, we would’ve been contacted immediately. They would want to get to us before the cops do.”

“Should we speak to the cops, though?” Jon asked him.

“Not until you tell me what really happened.”

Jon sighed. He had narrated the entire chain of events to Ned, starting from their departure for the resort to the reception scene this morning, but Ned insisted on hearing it again and again.

“So when was the last you saw her?”

“Yesterday afternoon. She said she was going to the beach. We didn’t see her after that.”

“You lot didn’t go look for her?”

“We were kind of – at a party.” Jon answered sheepishly.

“What about after? When you returned?”

“We never returned to our rooms that night. That’s why I found out about the break-in only in the morning.”

Ned frowned. “What was in the safe?”

That was when Jon panicked. All of their passports, travel documentation, return tickets and a fair bit of cash was in that safe. The money, he got it. But he didn’t understand why someone would steal the other things.

“Well?”

Jon told him.

“Fucking hell.” Ned was aghast. “You sure it wasn’t drilled open?”

“No.” Jon said. “They had to have known the combination. You don’t think it was her?”

“Don’t be daft, Jon. Why would your sister steal your documents? And tell me more about this Trystane character. You say she was spending time with him two days back and now he’s missing. What am I supposed to make of that?”

 _How would I fucking know that?_ “Maybe it’s not related.”

“Then how do you explain her disappearance?” Ned thundered.

When they reached the resort, it was nearing midnight. The police and news vans were still in the driveway. As they got out of the car, Robb rushed to them, coming out of nowhere. Sansa followed, her eyes streaked with tear marks.

“Dad…I’m so sorry! I should have kept an eye on her.” Robb started, before Ned put a firm hand on his shoulder.

“You can give me your apologies later. First we have to find her.”

He then turned to Jon. “Where are the police? And where’s Greyjoy?”

Robb spoke up. “He’s speaking to them.”

Ned raised an eyebrow. “Did I or did I not tell you not to speak to the cops till I arrived?”

“He’s not talking about her. Trystane Martell is still missing.”

“Bring him back with you and meet us at the villa. I want to know everything that has happened since Jon left.”

The villa was still in a state of disarray as Jon had left it that morning. Ned examined the drawers and the safe. “No note?”

Jon shook his head. “We checked our phones. No messages either.”

Theon rushed in, out of breath. “Mr. Stark.”

“What happened to Martell’s boy?” Ned snapped, ignoring the pleasantries.

“He’s still missing. His father’s come down from Sunspear.” Theon managed, struggling to stand still.

Ned muttered something Jon couldn’t hear. Whatever it meant, it wasn’t good.

“You saw Arya with him?”

Theon nodded.

“You sure it was him? Maybe you’re mistaken.” Ned said.

“No, Mr. Stark. I’m sure.”

This was where Jon started feeling skeptical of this situation. The only way they knew Arya was missing was because they were in the resort with her. But Trystane’s father was not here with his son. How did he know to call the cops when his son didn’t show up for what, a day? Do parents really call the cops and file a missing person’s report when their kids don’t show up when they’re supposed to? He couldn’t just be hanging out at another beach party? Or maybe he knew his kid was missing. The certainty surrounding Trystane's disappearance made Jon more fearful of what might have happened to Arya.


End file.
